Stranded residents resort to illegal rides

Protesters say Tseung Kwan O needs a new overnight bus route from Mongkok

Residents of Tseung Kwan O South say they are forced to illegally share taxis from Mongkok after midnight due to the lack of a fast and direct overnight bus service.

About 300 residents use about 60 taxis like minibuses to travel home every night because the N293 bus takes two hours to arrive in Tseung Kwan O, said Luk Ping-choi, a member of Sai Kung District Council, which oversees Tseung Kwan O.

The N293, which costs $14 per adult from Mongkok KCRC station to Sheung Tak Estate in Tseung Kwan O, is the only bus route operating after midnight. It costs about $100 for a taxi on the same route.

'The residents are being forced to illegally share red cabs that charge $30 per head to take five passengers home from Mongkok after the MTR is closed,' Mr Luk said. He complained that not only were illegally shared taxis expensive, they were also risky because the passengers were stripped of insurance cover.

The Sai Kung District Council will today present the Transport Department a petition with the signatures of 6,000 Tseung Kwan O residents calling for a direct bus route linking Mongkok and Tseung Kwan O after midnight.

About 200 Tseung Kwan O residents marched yesterday from the bus terminus at Kwong Tin Estate in Lam Tin to Ocean Shores in Tseung Kwan O to protest against the government for ignoring their calls for a direct overnight bus route for the past three years. They included residents from Beverly Garden, Kwong Ming Court, Po Ming Court, Sheung Tak Estate, Ocean Shores, Tseung Kwan O Plaza, Park Central, Bauhinia Garden and Choi Ming Court.

'These housing estates in Tseung Kwan O South have been occupied for seven years. With a population of close to 150,000, the area is ... entitled to a direct overnight bus service, as the minimum requirement is a population of 100,000,' Mr Luk said. He said he would propose to the Transport Department that an overnight bus service charge less than $9 per trip.

He said district councillors had been told the area had not been granted a new bus route for fear of hurting the taxi business.

Urban Taxi Drivers Association joint committee chairman Kwok Chi-piu said that while the illegal sharing of taxis affected business, the government should consider whether it is cost-effective and reasonable to operate an overnight direct service for Tseung Kwan O.

'One should look at the passenger load of each overnight bus. There are only a few people on it,' he said.